In certain athletic activities it is desirable to shield or otherwise provide protection for the eyes. For example, during alpine or cross-country skiing, shielding the eyes from the wind or falling snow prevents the eyes from watering, enhances visibility and contributes overall to the enjoyment of the activity. In sports such as racquetball, squash, or tennis, it is desirable to protect the eyes from being struck by the ball or the opponent's racquet. Should either the ball or a racquet come in direct contact with the eye, severe damage may result.
Over and above athletic activities it is also desirable to provide eye protection in other settings such as in manufacturing plants, and household workshops.
One type of eyeshield provided in the prior art has an adjustable headband permanently mounting a transparent lens. The lens projects downwardly from the headband over the eyes and is adapted to bear upon the bridge of the nose. It has also been known to provide cooperative snaps between the headband and the lens to facilitate the interchange of lenses which are mounted to the headband. In addition to the permanent connection of the lens to the headband or the mechanical connection such as snaps or the like, it has been known to provide a headband having a cloth frontal portion incorporating a sweatband, the frontal portion of the headband being permanently glued over the upper margin of the lens. The headband also includes an adjustable strap to enlarge or contract the headband to fit different size heads.
The prior art eyeshields noted above have several drawbacks. Those providing for the permanent interconnection between the lens and the headband are not entirely satisfactory for all uses since, depending upon the conditions, tinted or clear lenses may be required. Also, from a fashion standpoint it may be desirable to change the color of the tint of the lenses. Those headbands having a permanent connection are not adapted to satisfy this desired end. Additionally, for those eyeshields with cloth headbands, it is often desirable to launder the headband. The permanent connection of the lens to the headband prohibits or at least frustrates such laundering.
Those eyeshields allowing for the removability or interchangeability or lenses encounter the drawback of being costly to manufacture. Additionally, they are typically cumbersome and unfashionable. For example, the lenses must be manufactured and provided with snaps positioned to mate with the cooperative snaps on the headband. This increases the overall manufacturing costs of the lens since all snaps of the lenses and headbands must be uniformly and precisely placed. Furthermore, the loss of one or more of the cooperative snaps from either the lens or the headband may render the eyeshield useless.
Another drawback of prior art eyeshields is that they are adapted to almost entirely bear against the bridge of the nose. Should an object strike the lens, the force resulting therefrom is substantially distributed to and concentrated at the bridge of the nose. As a result, a relatively small impact force may result in an injury to the nose.